Gold futures closed lower Tuesday after climbing in the previous two sessions and reaching an almost 10-week high.
Gold for February delivery shed $4.80, or 0.4% to settle at $1,210.80 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Gold prices ended the U.S. day session modestly lower Tuesday, on some profit taking from the shorter-term futures traders and on a technical correction after poking to another two-month high overnight," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Metals Inc., said in a report.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,207.90 to a high of $1,220.10. They gained 0.9% on Monday, and finished at their highest price since Nov. 17.
Ending almost flat, silver for March delivery lost one-tenth of a cent to settle at $17.185 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $17.10 and $17.31. Like gold, they advanced 0.9% in the previous session.
In rounding out precious metals action:
-
April platinum advanced $27.90, or 2.9%, to $1,007.80 an ounce, ranging from $982.40 to $1,008.70.
- Palladium for March delivery surged $24.35, or 3.2%, to $795.85 an ounce, trading between $773.25 and $798.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London bullion prices from Monday PM to Tuesday PM:
- Gold added $3.95, or 0.3%, to $1,216.80 an ounce.
- Silver dipped 3.5 cents, or 0.2%, to $17.105 an ounce.
LBMA platinum and palladium prices are available on the LBMA’s website with a delay of midnight.
US Mint Bullion Coin Sales in 2017
United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged as of 3:59 p.m. ET. Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. bullion products with columns listing the number of coins sold during varying periods. Products with an asterisk (*) are no longer available.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday Sales | Last Week | This Week | Dec Sales | Jan Sales | |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | – | 13,300 | – | 13,300 |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 14,500 | 4,000 | 23,000 | 74,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3,000 | 18,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 4,000 | 0 | 2,000 | 34,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 40,000 | 110,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 2,000 | 1,500 | 12,500 | 28,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 825,000 | 150,000 | 240,000 | 4,722,500 |
| 2016 Shawnee 5 Oz Silver Coins* | – | ||||
| 2016 Cumberland Gap 5 Oz Silver Coin* | – | ||||
| 2016 Harpers Ferry 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | |
| 2016 Theodore Roosevelt 5 Oz Silver Coin* | – | 800 | – | ||
| 2016 Fort Moultrie 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
